The Teen Naturalists kicked off 2017 by orienteering at French Creek State Park in Berks County, PA. This 7,339 acre park was logged repeatedly to make charcoal for the Hopewell Furnace, which operated until the late 1800s. The land was sold to the government in the Great Depression, and managed similarly to the national parks at the time, with the Civilian Conservation Corps building recreational facilities in the park. Today the park land is owned by the State of Pennsylvania and the National Park Service maintains the historic furnace as the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. This park is the largest contiguous forest between New York City and Washington D.C., known for the variety of wildlife and recreational activities, including more than 35 miles of trails.

French Creek State Park is also home to a permanent orienteering course. Orienteering is a sport that combines navigational skills and racing. Participants use a highly detailed map and a compass to move from point to point, trying to complete the course in the least amount of time. We were not that competitive, but we did enjoy the challenge of navigating ourselves through the course around Hopewell Lake.

Orienteering orientation. Photo by Hannah Greenberg.

After a quick introduction, the Teens began to familiarize themselves with the compass, map, and map legend. Orienteering maps are incredibility detailed – roads, fences, trails, streams, hills, depressions, rocks, vegetation, etc. are accurately located. The Teens oriented themselves from our starting point in the parking lot to “control #1”. We set off in that direction, searching for a post with an orange and white square at the top.

The red lines and control numbers designate the orienteering course. Photo by Carrie Scheick

Check out this super detailed legend! Photo by Carrie Scheick.

Where are we? Where are we going next? Photo by Carrie Scheick.

Each post had the control number and letter code on the marker post placard. The letter code is recorded for competitive orienteering, to prove you made it to that location.

We recorded the letters in hopes that they spelled a word upon completion of the course, but they unfortunately did not. Photo by Carrie Scheick.

Our orienteering adventure took us on and off trail…

Photo by Carrie Scheick

…over logs and through boulder fields…

Photo by Carrie Scheick

…across crossable and un-crossable streams…

Photo by Hannah Greenberg

Photo by Carrie Scheick

…up and down hills and to the very edge of the park.

Photo by Carrie Scheick

Photo by Carrie Scheick

There were times we needed to pause and look at the map…

Photo by Hannah Greenberg

…but we were always excited when we successfully made it to each marker.

Photo by Hannah Greenberg

The misty rain and fog provided us with beautiful scenery in the woods. We saw and/or heard multiple species of birds including Mallard, Pileated Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and Eastern Bluebird. There was a variety of fungi including puffball fungus, polypore fungus, and witch’s butter fungus. A Northern Watersnake took advantage of the mild temperatures and came out to say hello to us at the dam.

For most of the Teens, this was their first experience orienteering. They all enjoyed the challenge, as it gave additional purpose to their hike and time outdoors. This outing was a great way to kick off the year!

Photo by Carrie Scheick.

Photo by Hannah Greenberg.

The Teen Naturalist program is open to teens ages 13-17 who have an interest in studying nature, adventuring outdoors, volunteering, and meeting other teens who enjoy these same activities. You can register at www.delnature.org/programs or contact us at (302) 239-2334 for more information and the program schedule.